CDCR Celebrates Incarcerated Students’ College Graduations

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: CDCR continues as a national leader in higher education for incarcerated people, with 135 students receiving their bachelor's degree at graduation ceremonies across the state in May and June. Participants included 36 students graduating summa cum laude, the highest academic honor.

"Higher education serves as a powerful rehabilitative tool that transforms lives and improves public safety for all. I commend each graduate for taking this important step in preparing for a successful future."

Jeff Macomber, CDCR Secretary

BIGGER PICTURE: Each year thousands of incarcerated people are enrolled in programs that meet their educational needs - and prepare them with skills for successful reentry into their communities.

The California Department of Corrections (CDCR) partners with California's public higher education system to offer associate, bachelor's and master's degrees through the California community colleges, the California State University, and the University of California. More than 13.5 percent of the entire incarcerated population are enrolled in college courses.

Community college enrollment among incarcerated people is more than 10,000 every semester, with students in all CDCR institutions. The Department has seven bachelor's degree partners and bachelor's programs in 12 institutions. As students complete their lower division academic classes with the community colleges, they are eligible to move to an institution with a bachelor's degree program.

Studies show that incarcerated individuals who participate in correctional education are 48 percent less likely to return to prison within three years than those who did not have access to these opportunities. In addition, people who participated in college courses while at CDCR were 31 percent more likely to have jobs after release.

MAY AND JUNE GRADUATIONS

• San Diego State University celebrated the second Valuing Incarcerated Scholars through Academia (VISTA) program commencement at Centinela State Prison. Twenty-nine graduates earned their bachelor's degrees in Journalism, with 19 graduating with academic honors, including four summa cum laude graduates. The VISTA program launched in 2023 and graduated its first cohort in 2025.
• Cal State LA celebrated the fourth cohort of the university's Prison Graduation Initiative (PGI) program at California State Prison, Los Angeles County (LAC), with 20 students receiving their Bachelor of Arts in Communication. The university founded PGI at LAC 10 years ago as California's first in-person bachelor's degree program for incarcerated students. It has since expanded to the California Institution for Women and the California Institution for Men. In August, the first cohort at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center will begin its classwork.
• Folsom State Prison (FSP) saw 22 students graduate with bachelor's degrees in Law and Society from Sacramento State University. All the graduates achieved academic honors, with 17 graduating summa cum laude.
• Twenty-four students at Mule Creek State Prison (MCSP) graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies from Sacramento State University. Twenty-two graduated with academic honors, with 11 earning summa cum laude distinction. Sacramento State's Transforming Outcomes Project runs at FSP and MCSP. Next year, the program will expand to California Medical Facility.
• The third cohort of University of California, Irvine LIFTED students graduated at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility. Twenty-five students graduated with bachelor's degrees in Sociology. Of these, 19 are earned minors in English, nine earned Latin Honors (four summa cum laude), and six were nominated to Phi Beta Kappa.
• The first cohort of University of California, Riverside LIFTED students graduated at California Rehabilitation Center. Fifteen students graduated with bachelor's degrees in Education, Society and Human Development with a Social Justice concentration, making this the first graduating class of UCR's in-prison degree program. Four of the graduates are being released to parole supervision and have been accepted into master's programs. They will begin this fall.

Photos available for download.